In an era when deterrent measures against enemies usually involve sophisticated weapons and lots of money, it may be worth reflecting on an earlier one that also involved money, but in a different and not especially successful way.
English coins from 1009 that were meant to ward off Viking attacks have been found near Logumkloster and Kastrup in Denmark, evidently carried home by the Viking raiders they were meant to prevent. Like the 30 or so others that have been found across the years, they have had loops and fastenings added so they could be work as jewelry by Danish Vikings.
The coins bear an image of a ‘Lamb of God’ rather than the king’s image, with the lamb pierced by a cross, supposedly gaining its power from the sacrifice made by Christ in Christian symbols. They were issued by King Æthelred II, also known as Æthelred the Unready, who had the coins struck after a series of Viking raids in northern England.
